One of the cornerstones of American democracy is the right to vote. Yet the history of voting rights in the United States is complicated. Although the original Constitution explained who could run for national office and how often elections were to be held, it remained silent on the subject of exactly who could exercise the right to vote. In the nation’s early years, that decision was made by individual states.
For several decades, voting in most states was limited to white male landowners, called freeholders. Gradually, the franchise, or right to vote, expanded to include non-landowners, then African-American men, then women, and eventually people as young as 18. The process had its twists and turns; it was far from a straight line of ever-expanding voting rights. And it involved the federal government taking a larger role in defining who made up the electorate, or people who could vote. This series traces that complicated process.
Lessons 2 through 5 draw on reports from the NBC Learn archives. Some are primary sources—news reports from the period that students are exploring as well as some historical documents. These primary sources will help students understand how people at the time were thinking about events. Other NBC Learn materials are secondary sources—news reports that look back on some of the key events in voting rights history and tie them to more current events. These sources help students see how historical events reverberate and affect their own lives.
Expanding Voting Rights is a series of five lessons:
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/early-republic
[2] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/African-Americans-Face-and-Fight-Obstacles-to-Voting
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/voting-rights-act-1965-and-beyond
[4] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/womens-suffrage
[5] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/26th-amendment